-ABC 7On Sunday, November 5, in the community of Thousand Oaks near Los Angeles, there were opposing demonstrations for both Israel and the Palestinians going on. The opposing protesters were on opposite sides of the street. One 69-year-old Jewish man, Paul Kessler of Thousand Oaks, was standing with an Israeli flag when he became involved in some sort of altercation with a 50-year-old pro-Palestinian protester, not further identified. During the altercation, Kessler fell to the sidewalk injuring the back of his head. He also suffered injuries on the left side of his face. The medical examiner has stated today in a news conference that the fatal injury was that to the back of his head.
There are reports by various news sources that Kessler was struck on the head by the man with a megaphone, which caused his fall. That was not confirmed by the Ventura Country sheriff during the news conference. The man who was engaged with Kessler has been questioned, briefly detained as his home was being searched pursuant to a warrant, but has not yet been charged or identified by the Sheriff' Office. They are proceeding with a homicide investigation.
The sheriff also indicated during the press conference that patrol cars had been driving by the dual protests to monitor the situation. It appears there was no uniformed presence when the incident happened.
Having attended many pro-Israel rallies, this tragic episode underlines the need for visible law enforcement presence at the protests. The potential for violence is simply too high.
We continue to follow this story.
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